Harry Potter And The Horcrux's Heir
by Jayne Dough
Summary: Harry is Haunted by more dreams, although this time it's not Voldemort trying to tell him something. Attempt to follow on from canon, a take on the seventh book.
1. Chapter 1

Magic and Millionaires.

An owl with an unusually brown head of feathers stalked around Grimmauld Place, sitting patiently at the window. Harry Potter was sleeping soundly in his home from home, with Ron snoring monstrously beside him. Ginny was in her room retiring quietly, and Hermione was nowhere to be seen.

It had been a summer since the unexpected loss of Dumbledore, but no one had chance yet to grieve. Minerva McGonagal, was sat, a stack of parchment at her side, tottering dangerously on her desk at The Order.

It was the eve of Harry's Birthday, the time of his coming of age. It was a time for change, new leadership, a new start. Against many wishes, McGonagal had decided to reopen Hogwarts, and was currently undergoing beaurocratic flack from Ministry officials and concerned teachers alike. There was a soft bang at the window. McGonagal looked up to see Hermione banging on the window.

"Is everything alright Miss Granger?" McGonagal said, her hair sticking up at odd angles where she'd nodded off at her desk, as she scanned quickly for polyjuice potion.

"I just needed some air". Hermione was smoothing down her hair frantically, "G'night professor" she called after herself as she ran up the stairs – being extra careful to avoid the creaky step seventh from the top. She crept quietly into her room, and didn't even bother to change her clothes for bed.

"Where have you been?" a quiet Ginny asked, sitting up in bed.

"I went for some air" she said hurriedly, rolling over out of the harsh moonlight and Ginny's glare.

"You haven't been smoking have you?" Ginny questioned. Hermione responded with a roaring laugh that stifled into a quiet giggle, then into a yawn.

"Good night Gin" she whispered and they were asleep. They were awoken by Ron; haphazardly bounding into the room, as Hermione recognised daylight on her eyelids.

"Harry's only a bloody Millionaire!" he shouted with positive glee, followed by an incredibly awkward looking Harry in his pyjamas.

"What?" Cried Hermione incredulously, outraged. "Oh and happy eighteenth Harry" she added sheepishly.

"Never thought I'd say this, but Ron's right!" He offered back.

"Oi!" said Ron, shooting him a hurtful look, though slightly feigned. Harry shot back a brief apologetic glance and continued.

"I inherited my Mum and Dad's estate this morning, _and_ Sirius'!" he said in mild bewilderment to Hermione and Ginny who didn't know quite whether to look impressed or horrified. "I got a letter off Gringotts this morning!"

"I hope you're going to invest it" Hermione said with a slightly pompous nod.

"Don't listen to her she's mental!" Ron cried.

"How _are_ you going to spend it…." Ginny offered.

"I'm not!" This time, their faces co-ordinated accordingly to a contorted look of shock. "Don't look at me like that!" he waved. "I just don't need to right away, I might buy a flat next year or something. But right now I probably don't fancy anything more than a new broom" he said quietly.

"Brooms!" Ron beamed, "Come on Harry, I've got catalogues and catalogues of 'em" and he led him out of the room.

Harry had decidedly mixed feelings about going back to Hogwarts. Though it was safe, he could never be sure. It was really a formality attending for his final year, as he'd much rather be out saving people, or doing something more active. But it was assured that there was nothing more he could do, and finally he caved, and allowed himself to be enrolled in Hogwarts for another year (Much to Hermione's not-so-secret delight).

The next few days were spent preparing, learning new Order passwords, writing letters home, keeping secrets and dreading lessons, all very typical, before they all knew it, it was time to be back on the Hogwarts Express.

"Saved you a seat" smiled Hermione as Ginny entered the carriage and Hermione moved her belongings.

"You didn't save a seat for me" Ron said, grumpy.

"Shut up Ron" Ginny and Hermione said in Unison. Harry stifled a snigger and managed wonderfully thanks to a murderous look from Ron.

"Looks like we could have a carriage to ourselves if we wanted to" he said gesturing over the passage to an identical carriage left open.

"Anything from the trolley!" came a resounding cry from the other end of the train, and Harry jumped up, obeying a rather nasty grumble emitting from his stomach, leaving the others to talk. He almost ran up the train when he bumped (quite literally) into Cho.

"Hello Harry" she chirped. "Nice to see you" she blushed madly.

"Hello Cho" he smiled, "Had a nice summer?" he said bashfully.

"Aye, other than the return of the Dark Lord himself, it was pretty good" she said somewhat sarcastically, but smiling anyway.

"How come you're here?" he said abruptly, "Not in a mean, way, I just meant with you, y'know, being old. I don't mean being old, I mean being older than me." He said quickly. She laughed.

"Relax Harry! Hogwarts is still the safest place to be, and my parents weren't too happy with my results. Which has happened to a lot of my year because of, well, what happened, y'know? So I'm going to stay this year to catch up, and learn a few things about fighting the dark arts" she smiled and left as her friend called her in the other direction. With a different kind of rumbling in his stomach he made his excuses and returned to the carriage.

"Did you not get any food?" questioned Ron to the flushing Harry. Harry stuttered and scratched his head, luckily Hermione interrupted.

"Guess what!" she beamed.

"This better not be about books", She threw Ron a violent look and continued.

"I've been learning wandless magic!" she cried, ecstatically.

"That's great" Ginny smiled.

"That's really hard!" Harry agreed.

"Watch this" she said as she wandlessly levitated Ron's glass of water.

"Oi!" he shouted. She lowered it and then squinted hard at him and he fell asleep.

"What have you done!" Harry shouted.

"Relax, he's asleep" she smiled and wiggled her nose. "Look at this" and she summoned her bag, smacking Ginny in the face. "God I'm Sorry!" she exclaimed, at a bloodied up Ginny. "C'mon" she sighed and led a whimpering Ginny out into the train. Harry didn't see either of them until the common room after the feast.

"I would like to say a few words" McGonagal murmured, disrupting the disquiet of the chattering hall. "I would like to thank you all for coming back, and a special thanks to all the staff." She gestured to the table, "Though we do have yet another defence against the dark arts teacher" she paused. "but since it is a full moon this evening he won't be at the table until tomorrow" she winked at Harry who was grinning. "Thank you very much everybody, Thank you for welcoming me as headmistress." And everybody duly applauded as she shed a tear and signalled for the feast to begin.

A contented Ron and Harry led the way to a much quieter common room than last year. Hermione and Ginny were giggling next to the fire.

"Where were you two?" Ron questioned.

"Hospital wing" they said, nearly in hysterics.

"I broke Gin's nose" Hermione said, smirking, and glancing at Ginny.

"What's so funny about that!" Ron exclaimed. They just smirked back. "Girls!" he shouted, and went to bed. Dutifully followed by Harry.

Harry went to slept immediately, just before he woke, he was suddenly placed in a very vivid dream. A Woman dressed all in yellow was drowning. Harry was reaching out trying to save her, but she dipped under. Harry desperately grabbed towards her, but it was too late and she had gone. Harry woke with his scar aching mildly, and Ron staring at him.

"It's time for Charms" Ron shook his head, "are you alright, you're not having them, dreams again are you?" his face wrinkled in concern, "are you?"

"I had a dream, but not one of those dreams" not really sure if he was telling the truth.

Charms was simple, Flitwick wasn't one to worry and had set them all a simple task to make a rock lighter. Ron had made his rock too light and he and Flitwick spent the rest of the lesson trying to catch it from up near the rafters. Hermione did hers wandlessly, to everyone's amazement, and Harry managed with two rocks at once. All in all they were very pleased.

It was potions next, they found a beaming Ginny at the door on the way out of Charms, announcing that because of such small numbers their years were being grouped.

Potions flew by, and though it was hard work Slughorn taught them all how to make Good luck potion, being careful to confiscate it all at the end for future use, and they all felt a certain sense of pride.

Last lesson of the day was Transfiguration, for future use to develop into an Animagus, McGonagal asked them all to Transfigure a body part into another living thing. Ron turned his eyebrows into caterpillars, and was very impressed until they crawled away. Harry turned his hair into a black squid sat atop his head, and Hermione competently turned her hands into talons (Although she did have trouble picking her wand back up again). Ginny grew whiskers from her nose, and Neville turned all his fingers and toes into worms, which in turn also crawled away, forcing him into the hospital wing to re-grow his digits. Ron contested that he should be allowed to re-grow his eyebrows, but Madam Pomfrey only responded with; "We don't have potions for something as trivial as that, come back when you're missing an arm" and Ron sulked off.


	2. Chapter 2

The Patronus and The Portrait.

It was hours into their first night and the students were already studying their homework, except Hermione, who was subsequently no where to be seen. A flustered Ginny ran into the room, "Has anyone see Hermione?" she shouted quite loudly, much to the annoyance of some fifth years who had got an early start on revision. Ginny was met with a collective shaking of heads, and she ran back out again.

"They're up to something." Ron said, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.

"What makes you say that Ron?" Harry said humouring him.

"They're acting weird. They're acting crazy. They're acting like…"

"Girls?" Harry suggested.

"Girls." Ron nodded, "I wonder what they're up to" he said ponderously.

"They've probably hidden in a tower to play a nice game of "Dream Phone" and talk about how rubbish boys are I expect, I hardly suspect its anything sinister" Harry laughed.

"I suppose your right" Ron grinned in return, he was interrupted by a large slam of the portrait and a bedraggled looking Hermione storming in.

"Where've you?" Ron started

"Don't ask!" she said, holding up a hand.

"But you're covered in…" Ron called after her as she started to ascend the stairs to the girls dormitories.

"Owl pooh! I know!" she called and closed the door behind her.

"Don't believe its anything sinister now?" Ron smirked as he packed away his things in triumph.

The next day McGonagal addressed them all at breakfast.

"As all of you who are here know, these times are hard, and lessons will subsequently get harder. Everyone will be leaving here with a qualification, don't you worry about that! But there will no longer be end of year exams, you'll be assessed by projects during the year, and gradually on your performance in class. We don't wish to cause the students any unnecessary stress. Everyone will have their defence against the dark arts lessons doubled, and from now on let's just say what you'll be learning will be a little bit more "practical" for what lies ahead" she smirked then turned on her heel.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny all rushed to Defence against the dark arts, to be greeted by Lupin.

"Hello Harry!" he beamed, Good to see you!" he smiled and hugged Harry tightly. "And my favourite witch of course" he smiled pulling Hermione into a hug as well.

"How come you're back professor Lupin? I thought you resigned" Hermione asked innocently.

"Please, Remus." He added, "The only parents who would have kicked up a fuss, are the ones that would take their children out of Hogwarts at a time like this!" he laughed. "McGonagal shared this view and asked me to return to teach you all a bit of stronger magic, and right now it wouldn't go amiss, so in my duty to the" he paused and hushed his voice "Order, I am obliged to do so!"

"What are we doing today then?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I thought Harry might be able to help me out here, I don't think anyone realises the power in a Patronus; we can use them to communicate with other wizards, send out signals of safety or distress, protect yourself from some curses, and of course dementors. I think it would be beneficial if everybody could conjure a slightly sufficient one, I'm not expecting many full animal forms, but I'd like it very much if you could teach this class for me Harry, I've never seen any patronus quite like yours!" Harry felt sick and proud all at once, and looked uncertain for a second, like he might vomit, or punch the air. He settled for a marginal "ok". The class had trickled in by now, and Harry felt his stomach sink into his toes, and his forehead start to sweat. He looked out onto dozens of eyes that were staring at him, and with an encouraging grin from Lupin, Swallowed hard and started.

"Erm, hello everyone. Lupin has asked for me to teach this class today, for erm some reason" he concluded to the giggles of many girls in the class.

"I'm going to teach you all how to conjure a Patronus." He smiled. "And does anyone, excluding Hermione" he said, laughing. "Know what a patronus is?" Cho and Ginny both raised their hands, and Harry wrestled with himself for a moment, before his heart fluttered and he chose Cho. Ginny looked both disappointed and annoyed, Hermione glared at Harry and then gave a soft look to Ginny, who smiled meekly and squeezed Hermione's arm for comfort.

"It's a good spirit that can be used to ward off some dark magic, and also used as a messenger" she smiled sweetly at him.

"Nice to see you're applying yourself Chang" he jested "Five points to Ravenclaw" he smiled and continued, "To conjure a patronus, you need to think of a Happy memory or moment, it doesn't have to be real but I'd recommend it" he nodded. Lupin added;

" A little bird has told me that some of you may go on to be trained as an Animagus this year, and usually your patronus is a reflection of what animal you will become, so this should be interesting. Of course I really only expect Harry to produce a distinct animal body" he smiled.

"Right I want to know what everyone's memory is, Neville?"

"Snape leaving" everyone laughed.

"Cho?"

"Catching the snitch before Harry" she laughed.

"You there?"

"Getting A's on my OWLs"

"Ron?"

"Scoring a goal for Gryffindor!" he beamed.

"Hermione?" She glared at him for a few moments, smirked, then quickly glanced at Ginny, who was also smiling.

"Mine is private" she said with a sense of pride.

"Erm, ok? Ginny?" She mimicked Hermione,

"Mine is private too" she stated. Harry was slightly put off by this and finished asking everybody.

"So has everybody got a memory? Yeah?" he smiled as everyone nodded to him. "Right, think about it and point your wand firmly and say "Expecto Patronum" and hold it for as long as you can. Now don't exhaust yourself because it is tiring, and I'll look at them" he surveyed everybody's silvery silhouettes. Hermione had cast some kind of bird, and Ginny had conjured a fox, Ron and Neville both had silvery blobs, and it looked like Cho's patronus was a swan, but they were all very blurry and hard to distinguish.

"Very good everyone I'm pleased with this! Some really promising ones. I'm not going to set you homework, but I do insist that you all practise your patronus, as they're very useful in fighting the dark arts". Lupin stepped in.

"I agree with Harry there, practise your patronus! Extra points to whoever brings me a list of the most uses for a Patronus, and please, no silly ones. Last time I had a student say, "fetching you a butterbeer" and I hardly feel like that's a valid use!" he laughed. "Class dismissed, and fifty points to Gryffindor for Harry" Harry felt like he could summon a wonderful prancing patronus right then and there, but he was feeling shy enough and didn't want to tempt fate.

Harry's dreams of the lady in yellow kept becoming more vivid, he was going to go mad if he didn't talk about it to someone soon.

Eventually one night at the end of October, Harry sought out Hermione to talk to, but found she had disappeared again. Lately both Hermione and Ginny were behaving extremely more erratic. Hermione kept disappearing at strange times, and though at every other time her and Ginny were inseparable, even Ginny didn't know where she went. Harry gave up and decided to go and see McGonagal.

Harry hadn't been to the Headmistress's office this year, not since Dumbledore died. He hoped it wouldn't feel like McGonagal had invaded it, but suspected it would.

"Potter what are you doing milling about out here" she said.

"I was waiting for you Mrs McGonagal" he said hurriedly.

"Very well, I must go see to Peeves right away, let yourself in, it's Pineapple Chunk" she whispered. He obeyed and climbed the stone steps into the gargoyle. He supposed he would have been more comfortable with a complete McGonagal invasion. Instead, he was slightly unnerved to find that she had kept it exactly as it was. A half goblet of brandy sat on the edge of the desk unfinished.

"I wondered when you would come" a familiar voice said to him.

"Dumbledore?" Harry whirred round as fast as he could. A painting of Dumbledore was talking to him. "Oh" he said, second guessing himself.

"Expecting someone else?" Dumbledore asked.

"Erm, no" he said quietly. There was a pause, "How come you can talk to me like you're not dead?" he blurted out to no one in particular.

"Ahh, you see. When you are alive, certain wizards can choose how much of themselves they would like to leave behind in any way. For example, a painting." He smiled, "or some people possess objects to keep them safe" The canvas skin of Dumbledore smiled.

"Like the sorting hat?" Harry offered.

"Like the sorting hat." He agreed. "I did not however wish to come back as a ghost, because that way you have to stay here forever. And forever is an awfully long time." He smiled "This way, I can converse with people as if I were still alive, but if I ever want to join the other part of me, all you need to do is destroy the painting, and I go home" he explained.

"Home?" Harry questioned.

"A wizard is sworn not to tell anybody of what lies after death, but I should say that you shouldn't fear it" Harry smiled at him

"So if I tell you something, you can give me opinions on it, like the old Dumbledore?" Harry fathomed

"Yes that's right, though I don't suggest you do it often, as there are many people who are alive willing to help you" he said. "What is on your mind Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, I keep having these dreams professor." Harry stumbled.

"Dreams about Voldemort?" Dumbledore offered, stroking his exceptionally long beard.

"No, dreams about a woman, a drowning woman. She's dressed all in yellow, and I try to save her, and the outcome is different every time" he said, smiling nervously.

"Harry, dreams are strange things anyway, in a magical mind, especially one as strong as yours, all sorts of things could be happening."

"Are the dreams dangerous?" Harry said, looking fear-stricken.

"I have no doubt they are full of meaning and old magic, but dangerous? No" He sighed. Harry heard footsteps running up the stairs. "Harry, if walls could talk they would have some very interesting things to tell you. Especially walls as old as Hogwarts" he winked. Harry understood somewhere in his mind that this was a clue to what the dreams meant, but he knew not to push it any further when the portrait of Dumbledore feigned sleep as a rushed looking McGonagal sped in.

"You wanted to speak to me Potter?" she said, looking worse for wear.

"It doesn't matter professor" he said as he sprang out of the door and towards Gryffindor Tower, leaving a baffled looking McGonagal behind.


End file.
